Steam condensers having two or more passes with one pass being cold water and the other pass being warmer water are known. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 1,777,280 where the water in tubes 0 is colder than the water in tubes L which in turn is colder than the water in tubes K. The provision of condensate removal trays per se are known. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,927.
The surface condenser of the present invention is directed to a solution of the problem of how to construct a tube bundle so that it is more compact, can be vented more efficiently and also is a solution to the problem of providing more efficient operation with steam originating from a source such as geothermal wells which present a contamination problem. The contamination problem with geothermal wells is how to remove components of the steam which are objectionable from a contamination point of view such as hydrogen sulfide gases, and also to prevent the main body of the condensate from contact with such contamination.